


What is the Point of Notes Anyways?

by Shane_for_Wax



Series: Holtzmann the ADHD Engineer [2]
Category: Ghostbusters (2016)
Genre: F/F, Gen, Holtzmann isn't neurotypical and that's okay dammit, i'm sorry haha, the others are around too i just... didn't tag them?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-18
Updated: 2016-08-18
Packaged: 2018-08-09 11:18:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,818
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7799737
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shane_for_Wax/pseuds/Shane_for_Wax
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>More adventures with ADHD!Holtzmann and her very patient and understanding girlfriend, Patty, who does her best to help Holtz cope with all the trials that come with being ADHD.</p>
            </blockquote>





	What is the Point of Notes Anyways?

One of the most frustrating things about her condition was that even though Holtzmann had the propensity to talk fast, faster than her social filter could kick in, it actually took her a bit of time to fully digest something someone else had said to her (which is why she learned far better from reading or doing lab work during school than from lectures). She didn't like it, and in fact always felt like people got annoyed when she asked them to repeat something more than twice so she could try to process what had just been said. So sometimes she just pretended she had heard the third time which usually got her into trouble. 

At the moment she was trying very, very hard to keep up with the spirited discussion (no pun intended) between Erin and Abby about how best to categorize the various entities they came across. But most of the time it just went too fast. And it sooo was not her area of expertise. She just built the things to capture them. Though she supposed having various strengths of traps and weapons would prove to be useful she still couldn't get herself to keep up with the conversation. 

"Hey Patty, d'you--" Holtzmann began, turning her head towards the taller woman. She stopped speaking as she saw Patty dutifully jotting down notes on a paper pad and for a moment Holtzmann could do nothing but envy the woman's note taking skill and the fact she was actually able to follow the discussion while writing things down for later digestion. 

"Yeah, Holtzy?" Patty asked, still writing. 

"Nevermind," Holtzmann mumbled, pink coloring her cheeks and the bridge of her nose. She ducked her head down and went back to studying the plan she had made for a better power system for her pistols.

Eventually she managed to get back into the zone and the voices around her just became white noise.

\--------------------------------------

A lIittle while later, it took her a minute to realize that the sound of voices had died down, and another thirty seconds to feel the hair on the back of her neck stand up, informing her that someone or something was watching. She looked up from her project, blinking blearily behind the yellow-tinted goggles that was her signature look in and out of the lab. Erin and Abby were looking at her expectantly, while Patty was doing her best to get Holtzmann to notice the notepad she had been using earlier so that she could read it. Holtz didn't seem to notice it, or at least did not know why Patty was waving it so desperately under the blonde's nose. 

"So what do you think, Holtzmann? Build different strength traps so as not to waste juice or what?" Abby asked, causing Patty to do a mental facepalm before putting the pad down on Holtzmann's work bench.

"I guess I could do that. But it would require a lot of research and experimenting and then we'd have to find a good reliable way of labeling and figuring out which trap to take with us..." Holtzmann said, slow and deliberate as she chewed on the question while speaking the answer. 

"One size fits all is working pretty good so far," Patty added in support. It would be a lot of work and then Holtzmann would have to remember which trap was which when trying to label them. It was drama Holtzmann did not need.

"Yeah, you're probably right," Erin finally admitted, not sounding very happy but Holtzmann could rarely tell the tone being used when someone was speaking.

"Well, it was just an idea," Abby pointed out, apparently picking up on the worry that Holtzmann had about whether her answer had hurt Erin somehow.

Eventually they decided the discussion was finished and soon moved to their own parts of the firehouse. Patty, of course, lingered. 

She patiently tapped a finger against the notepad. "I wrote you some notes," she pointed out, doing her best to show she was more exasperated than offended. And even then she felt like an asshole because she knew it wasn't Holtzmann's fault she had ignored the woman without knowing it. 

"Oh, shit, really? I'm sorry I didn't--" 

"It's fine, Holtzy. You were caught off guard. But I learned to take good notes when I was trying to get through the police academy. I know you probably would have kept up with the conversation the other two geniuses had going if it had been in a chat room. This is the next best thing. Just let me know if you need me to take notes and I will."

Holtzmann wasn't entirely sure what to say. She was deeply touched but also felt a little guilty. Patty was so nice and understanding it was hard to believe she was real. But she was. Very, very real. 

"No one's ever offered to do that for me before..." Holtz admitted, admiration in her voice. She pulled the goggles that looked like they wouldn't be out of place in a steampunk setting from her face and let them dangle from one ear. She then leaned up on her tiptoes as far as she could then whined softly when she was still two inches shy of being able to properly reach Patty's lips. The taller woman offered a dramatic eyeroll before leaning down to plant a short but sweet kiss on Holtzmann's smiling lips.

"Thank you," the blonde said, but whether it was for Patty taking notes or for closing the distance for a kiss she did not say. Instead she just had that usual goofy grin she always got after kissing Patty.

"Uh huh. You're welcome, you little radioactive weirdo," Patty said, quite affectionately. 

The nuclear engineer was still someone who lived in a completely different world from Patty but they still managed to intersect; Patty was Holtz's anchor to the real world. 

"Please don't feel like you have to help me all the time," Holtz said suddenly, rubbing the back of her neck with a chagrined grimace on her face. 

"Baby, I help you because I care, not out of some weird obligation. Don't worry that pretty blonde head of yours," the former subway worker said before kissing Holtzmann's forehead gently. 

"Alright..." was the reply, still sounding a little unsure but happy nonetheless.

Another smile graced Holtz's face shortly afterward, back to her radioactive weirdo self again, before she pulled her goggles back on and returned to her work on her pistols.

She was so engrossed in her work she didn't notice when Patty jotted down 'I love you' on an empty page of the notepad and left it on the workbench close to the blowtorch but far enough away it wouldn't get accidentally turned into ash. By some miracle Holtz actually noticed it when picking up the torch. It brought a smile to her face and she stuck it on the front thigh of her overalls. 

\-----------------------------------------

She was glad when Patty didn't come back around to the lab until Holtz had finished the mini project she had concocted in the middle of upgrading her pistols. She held it up proudly, beaming at the taller woman when she came over in the early evening. 

"Oh my God, Holtz! How did you do that?" Patty asked, staring in awe at the mini metal sculpture that the engineer had crafted. 

It was a near perfect miniaturized version of the Civic Fame, one of Patty's favorite statues in all of New York City next to Balto and the Joan of Arc equestrian statue. She didn't even think Holtz had been paying attention when Patty had talked about the statues when passing by them to a bust a month ago (or at least passing by the general area). 

"Used to be super great at molding clay. Same kinda concept here except this is fucking titanium with a layer of copper over top and will last through an apocalypse. D'you like it?" Holtzmann asked nervously and hopefully. 

"Oh, honey, I love it. It will look wonderful in my living room. Thank you, Holtzy," Patty replied, eyes shimmering with flattered and happy tears. 

"You're welcome, Pattycakes. Time to go home now?" 

"Yeah, baby, might as well." Erin and Abby were still having a debate about entity classifications but since Holtzmann was satisfied with the work she had done that day she figured it wouldn't matter if she went home since she had nothing to contribute where entities and classifications were concerned. Let the scientists take care of that, she was an engineer. 

So, after saying goodnight to the scientists she left the firehouse with Patty, who was clutching her present as if it was the most precious thing in the world. It was the first gift she had received from a significant other since high school and the first just out of the blue no reason, no birthday or holiday, to explain the giving. It was super special for other reasons too of course: Holtz had any number of other uses for the metal and she had actually absorbed the one time mention of the Civic Fame which meant that even with the scattered thought processes that came with ADHD, Holtz cared so much about Patty that she redoubled her efforts to pay attention and jot things down in the memo app on her phone. 

Even though Holtzmann's place was closer to the firehouse, they drove to Patty's place instead. Holtz was extremely eager to see where Patty would display the statue and could hardly contain herself as the other woman unlocked and opened her apartment. 

Holtzmann darted in like a flash and gazed around the area that was quickly becoming very familiar. She noticed a new picture (at least she thought it was new) before Patty called out to her, taking her attention towards a side table set up next to the couch which was now the new home for the mini Civic Fame. She didn't even try to fight the smile. Instead she rushed over to the taller and launched herself up into Patty's arms, circling Patty's waist with her legs and wrapping her arms around her neck. She peppered a couple kisses along the darker woman's cheeks, jaw, and mouth proper, grinning the entire time.

"Glad you like it," she said happily while nuzzling her nose into the spot where Patty's neck met her shoulder. 

"Glad you made it for me, Holtzy. You feel lighter than you were yesterday, let's get you something to eat." 

Holtzmann would never tire of Patty reminding her to eat or sleep because it meant she cared.

Patty was already thinking of what to get Holtzman in return, since there was little she could make by hand. Maybe a dinner with all of Holtzy's favorite foods. She would revisit that idea after showing the blonde just how grateful she was for the thoughtful gift.

**Author's Note:**

> I got super encouraged by the lovely comments and all the kudos on my other fic so I made this one almost as a thank you! Thanks to everyone who has been so supportive of not only the head canon but how I write Holtz and Patty. :) I was gonna make this chapter 2 for 'Million Miles a Minute Thought Processes' but to be honest these both read as one shots and the only thing connecting them is Holtz's ADHD so... 
> 
> I came up with the head canon on the fly about Patty applying to the nypd but getting rejected for failing the police academy course in firearms. Which makes her use of the proton pack even more interesting cause of how she holds it. :D 
> 
> Also decided that in addition to having had 3 jobs prior to working with Abby, Holtzmann was a surprisingly accomplished sculptor haha. 
> 
> I have also only visited NYC a couple times so I had to rely on my shaky memory and the internet for the NYC specific artwork mentioned. 
> 
> Please find me on tumblr @ jacensolodjo and feel free to send in prompts!


End file.
